Who would have thought that being plundered for a record total of 498 would not be the worst thing to happen to Netherlands cricket that day in 2022? Pieter Seelaar, a veteran cricketer and a superb leader, had decided to step away from the game. Ironically, he was Netherlands’ best bowler that day, picking up two of the four wickets to fall, and after that, that was it.
What could have proved to be a downward slide for the Dutch turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it paved the way for the most successful period in Dutch cricket history.
The Beginning
Scott Edwards took charge of the side, and what followed was a series of highs for Netherlands, which included not just qualifying for every white-ball World Cup, but also brushing aside teams like South Africa (twice) and Bangladesh, to name a few. Moreover, they also beat West Indies in a super over in the 2023 World Cup Qualifier.
Like all good things must come to an end, on August 1, Edwards decided it was the right time to relinquish captaincy, allowing Bas de Leede to take charge, as the Men in Orange prepare to qualify for the ODI World Cup in 2027 and also the T20 World Cup the following year.
Edwards, Cook set the tone
Less than two months ago, Ryan Cook also stepped down as head coach of the side. Along with Cook, Edwards had worked tirelessly hard in not just in strategising matches and teams, but also ensured that Netherlands had a good depth of players to pick from.
With plenty of stars like Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Colin Ackermann, etc absent from national duty due to County commitments, it became all the more imperative to ensure that the side were not short of quality in their absence. They weren’t afraid to look at short-term options too. Sybrand Engelbrecht, for example, was pulled out of thin air ahead of the 2023 World Cup and went on to represent the Dutch in two World Cups
The good news for Netherlands is that Edwards will continue playing for the team, which is indeed going to be vital. He is without a doubt one of the best glovemen in the world, and moreover, he is a vital cog in the Netherlands batting line-up.
To put things into perspective, since Edwards took over permanently, only Rohit Sharma and Shai Hope have scored more runs than him in ODIs as captain. Edwards has slammed 18 50-plus scores in this period, the most among captains. Out of those, his unbeaten 78 against South Africa in Dharamsala and 68 against Bangladesh in Kolkata would surely be the highlights, given that the Dutch went on to win both those matches at the World Cup.
He has also scored 885 T20I runs in this period at a strike rate of 122.57, which are not great numbers, but from a Netherlands point of view, only opening batters Max O’Dowd and Michael Levitt have bettered them.
Can de Leede better Edwards?
Edwards’ feature has never been about personal milestones. Along with Cook, he ensured that the team was united and made everyone buy into the vision of the team. And it is that vision that has made Netherlands stand out, and the world – not just the associate nations – has taken notice.
The Dutch have played every World Cup since 2021, and have also upstaged a few teams along the way. With a new coach taking over, it is perhaps time for a new captain to take the team forward.
Edwards has surely set the platform. It is now for de Leede to add more colours to the Netherlands’ story. While de Leede has always been looked to as the future, there perhaps is no better time for him to take over the mantle.
The last four years were easily the best period in Netherlands cricket, one could feel that it will be tough to topple it. However, they have on more than one occasion pulled a rabbit out of the hat, and it will com as no surprise if they continue to do something similar for years to come.
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